Conviction of Sheikh Ali Salman for incitement comes day after Britain opened
new naval facilities in the Gulf state

The Western-backed Gulf kingdom of Bahrain faced renewed criticism on Tuesday after jailing the leader of the constitutional opposition for four years.

The sentence was passed down the day after a British minister visited the island to inaugurate a newly expanded naval base.

Ali Salman, who spent years in exile in Britain before returning to Bahrain and becoming head of its biggest political party, al-Wefaq, was accused of plotting to overthrow the monarchy, inciting sectarianism and inciting others to break the law.

He was acquitted of the first charge, which could have brought a life sentence, but convicted of the latter.

Critics said his real offence was to boycott what al-Wefaq called sham elections and negotiations with the government over its crackdown on the Shia majority in Bahrain, and to call for political reform.

“Today’s verdict is shocking,” said Said Boumedouha, deputy Middle East director at Amnesty International. “It is yet another clear example of Bahrain’s flagrant disregard for its international obligations.

“Sheikh Ali Salman has been sentenced solely for peacefully expressing his opinion.

“For a country that has expressed outrage at criticism of its human rights records, Bahrain has not hesitated to suppress political opposition and muzzle critical voices at every opportunity.”

Bahraini opposition al-Wefaq Islamic Society, Sheikh Ali Salman

Under limited political reforms in the early 2000s in Bahrain, elections were held and Wefaq, with Ali Salman at its head, became the island’s most popular party.

Following the crackdown on anti-government protests in March 2011, it initially agreed to join negotiations over political reform, but then withdrew saying the government was not serious.

It rejected calls for more talks last September, and then also boycotted elections in November. On December 28, Mr Salman was arrested and charged over comments made in speeches from 2012 to the present.